1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a transducer mounting apparatus for a boat and more particularly to an apparatus for mounting an acoustic transducer to a boat which allows the acoustic transducer to be pointed in more than one direction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently, electronic sonar systems are being used extensively by fisherman and boatmen. These systems include an acoustic transmitting and receiving transducer located in the water and monitoring or display instrumentation located in the boat. Various brackets are currently in use for mounting the transducer to the boat. Most of the known brackets mount the transducer in a fixed position or are adjustable only by removal of the bracket from the water. The closest prior art of which I am aware is my earlier issued patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,216; entitled "Transducer Mounting Bracket", issued Nov. 2, 1976; and the descriptive matter of that patent is incorporated herein by reference for details omitted herefrom. The bracket in U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,216 allows the transducer to be pointed in various directions by operations from within the boat. The bracket of U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,216 comprises a control rod within a support shaft with a control at its upper end and a pivoting device for the transducer at its lower end. The upper end of the shaft is attached to the boat by a universal coupling device which positions the axis of the shaft vertically regardless of the attitude of the boat. The patented bracket is a high quality, relatively expensive piece of equipment.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that the prior art has not provided a totally satisfactory simple, economical, and versatile transducer mount that allows pointing the transducer in various directions underwater.